Review Details

Transit 2 Jacket

Product Review (submitted on May 9, 2012):

After about a month I love this jacket. At first I thought I may have ordered a size too large but have since realized it is perfectly sized for wearing alone and with layers. I chose a size larger than my jacket size and in a regular length. Before ordering I spoke with a ‘Stich customer service rep and he was fantastic. We discussed what my layering requirements were and my sizing details. He went and tried on a Transit and related it to his sizing as a reference. Because of his efforts I got the perfect size jacket. Many thanks to him.

The jacket has begun to “soften” up and become mine. I love the fit and finish. And it looks absolutely fantastic. Last week I dropped my GSA for the first time (not a pavement queen but a real adventure bike) in an uphill hairpin on a mountain logging road covered with deep gravel. My right forearm took the brunt of the fall and slid through some pretty gnarly gravel for about two meters before I stopped. The Transit doesn’t even have a scratch on it and the armor did its job completely. After brushing the dust and marks from the gravel off my Transit is as good as new. I hope that is the last test of the durability and armor…

Though I have not ridden in heavy rain for a long period I have gotten wet. There has been no water migration into the interior of the jacket. The collar is great but not enough to seal completely at the back of the neck so I will use a Rooster Aquafleece Neck Gaiter over it when things get wet. There is no way to make a collar do absolutely everything and still be comfortable so I think the Transit collar is just right. The jacket dried quickly and did not get heavier when wet.

Sitting in the sun at traffic lights is a bit weird. I expected to feel like I was baking in a leather oven but did not. It still gets hot but you can actually feel the sun NOT penetrating the leather. It’s like you are standing in the shade but you are in the direct sunlight. Ambient heat is a reality but the increasing temp from sun baking is greatly reduced. Really impressive.

No problems with sleeve length or the cuffs. They are supposed to be a bit long and the closures work very well. And as is the case with the overall jacket they look awesome and add to the classic styling.

So far I love the function of this jacket and the way it looks. It is very well made, versatile (I also wear it when touring on my GTL), awesome looking, durable and everything else one could want. What could be better than Gore-Tex mated with leather???!? This is a simple, purpose-built garment that has all the right features and none that you don’t need. It’s not a “Swiss Army” adventure jacket with all kinds of stuff that you don’t need even if you’re running The Dakar. This is a faithful companion that I suspect I will be wearing much more often than any of my many other jackets. If and when it continues to perform and does hold up for many more years I might even say it’s almost perfect.